[Host, what do you think was your biggest gain when you received the system?]
At this question, Jarek thought deeply but couldn't come up with a clear answer.
He gained many benefits from the system.
Skills, law diagrams, and the ability to absorb energy directly from the world were already game-changing abilities.
'The ability to absorb energy from the world?' Out of three, he felt that this might be his best ability.
[Not quite, but it is just a small part of your biggest gain. You are, in fact, not the only one in this world with that ability; some people share the same ability as you because of their foundations. You have even met two of them already.]
Hearing this, Jarek couldn't help but think of a certain phoenix and dragon, and something clicked. 'No wonder they felt as if they were connected with the world. So that's it.'
He had felt that those two were very special from the aura they emitted, but he didn't expect them to also have this ability.
[Your biggest gain came in the form of Genesis qi. When you used Genesis qi to remove your impurities, your qi gained its properties, and so did your body. That means that you have abilities that are beyond this world's understanding. You just haven't discovered them.]
'Wait, then how did they gain this ability? I awakened it through Genesis qi, but how did they do it?'
[They just used another higher form of unattributed qi. And no, you are still not qualified to know the details. Just know that this qi is from the highest phase of cultivation in 'this' world.]
[But Genesis qi is a level of energy not from this world, and there are so many heaven-defying things it can do that you haven't discovered yet. It is a after all, the source of all types of energy.]
As Jarek heard that last sentence, it was as if he had received a spark of enlightenment, and after three minutes of contemplation wanted to pose a question.
'If Genesis qi is the source of all types of energy, then is it possible that...'
[Yes, both are possible.]
When Jarek heard this, he was stupefied.
'Isn't that a bit too overpowered?' He couldn't help but ask himself inwardly, surprised that such abilities could exist, especially the latter one. 'Let's try the first one. I'll figure out the second one later if the opportunity arises.'
A few minutes later, Eira was seated cross-legged, and Jarek, who stood behind her, also sat down and placed his hand on her back.
Qi flowed from his body, moving towards his hand, which was directly touching Eira's back, entering her body.
As Jarek guided his energy throughout her body, the system's voice rang in his mind.
[Guide your energy throughout her entire body and search for masses of impurities.]
Jarek did just that and soon found the first type of impurity. There were many of them.
[Just let your energy flow through these areas.]
Seconds later, all traces of these impurities were wiped out.
[That was the first type of impurity. As we head deeper, you will find it difficult to spot the other types of impurities if you don't focus.]
As Jarek's qi travelled deeper inside her body, he soon found traces of another type of impurity.
This time, they were well hidden and not easy to spot.
[Now focus your energy on these areas.]
Just like that, they were gone as well.
But this was still the beginning.
[The next type will be a bit difficult to remove, even if you find them. Luckily, they are not that hard to spot.]
When Jarek's qi came into contact with the third type, he found that these were very difficult to remove.
It was as if they had attached themselves to the body and had a will of their own, resisting the influence of his qi.
This time, he spent a lot of effort removing them. They were too stubborn.
But now came the most difficult part of this whole process.
[First, replenish your energy before we begin the final step.]
Jarek paused what he was doing and started to draw in the surrounding energy to replenish his energy reserves.
Once he was at full capacity, the system spoke once again.
[This time, instead of just heading deeper, we will be channeling your qi to the center of her body. Once you reach the center, I will inform you.]
Jarek took a deep breath before proceeding. He guided his qi to head even deeper inside Eira's body.
Once Jarek's qi had reached the center, the system said.
[Right there. Now push your qi outward with this point as the center, and make sure your qi has no gaps so that we can push them all out; otherwise, the impurities will find gaps and flow right back in. And don't worry if you can't sense them, they are just connected to every part of the body, making it indistinguishable from any common cell. Do this very slowly.]
And indeed, Jarek couldn't sense any impurity with his senses, but he still followed the system's advice.
When he had finally pushed his qi outside Eira's body after two hours of effort, what flowed out alongside his qi were huge amounts of impurities, quite similar to Jarek's when he advanced, but less disgusting.
'Are all of them now gone?' Jarek asked.
[Of course not. But your current qi quality isn't enough to remove them. No one in this world or any lower world can do that. The only reason why your body doesn't have a single impurity left is because of the pure Genesis qi that was used to fuel your advancement and because I took care of it.]
'Didn't you say that my qi has properties of all types of qi—Genesis qi included?'
[What I meant was partial properties. Your qi doesn't possess all the characteristics of Genesis qi, or it would be more accurate to say that it doesn't possess the right amount of it to be able to remove all her impurities.]
[And even if it did, it still wouldn't be possible.]
'Why?'
At this question, the system refused to elaborate any further.
[That is also something you are not qualified to know.]
Jarek inwardly cursed the system for baiting him only to leave him hanging.
While Jarek was having a 'chat' with the system, Eira, who had her body covered with liquid impurities, felt as if her being had changed drastically.
Her senses had developed to superhuman levels. She could even clearly hear the sound of birds outside the cave as if they were right beside her.
Her vision also improved to be able to see clearly inside the cave as if it were outside.
She couldn't help but marvel at this new change. But what attracted her attention was the energy center in her body.
She tried interacting with it and was able to produce unattributed qi, which she struggled to manipulate on her first try.
It took her over ten minutes to be able to perform basic qi manipulation.
By this time, Jarek's attention was now drawn to her, and he watched as she got herself familiar with her own body.
'Her aura now feels similar to those two.' Jarek noted as he observed her.
He also pondered on what the type of impurities he found within Eira's body could be, and he couldn't help but feel that they felt somewhat familiar.
He had identified four types of impurities—he would discover their names much later in his cultivation journey.
These impurities are known as Surface, Hidden, Relentless, and Cellular Impurities.
Normal cultivators only manage to remove Surface impurities in the Apprentice stage, and the rest are removed as they cultivate and break through other cultivation phases.
As for the other three, it would depend on one's status.
It is usually a privilege reserved for the nobility, something that would have been impossible for Eira to enjoy if it weren't for Jarek.
As she finally came out of her excited state, she finally seemed to notice the liquid covering her entire body and became embarrassed, wondering what to do.
Luckily for her, Jarek came prepared. He had brought extra clothes for such a scenario.
He took out clothes from a bag similar to the one he found in the cave. It was a storage treasure with plenty of space inside.
"You can change into these clothes. I'll wait outside." Jarek said so as he started moving towards the cave's entrance. He then said, "You can use qi to clean yourself. Just circulate it outside and pass it all over your body. Let me know when you are done."
With Jarek now gone, the reality that she was a cultivator now sank in.
It was really hard to describe what she was feeling right now—worry, excitement, and relief.
Just like any normal person subjected to change, she would of course be worried, but that also produced a small feeling of excitement at the prospect of cultivating and discovering more about this new world every mortal dreams of.
And finally, she felt relieved knowing that she wouldn't have to part ways with the only person close to her.
'At least this way, we can be together for a little bit longer.'